2nd breakwater, no parking lot: Iqaluit gets look at revamped harbour plan

A new, revised plan for Iqaluit's small craft harbour, including a second breakwater, was rolled out at a public consultation Wednesday night. The changes come after local boat operators formed a working group to give feedback on the initial design.

"It's everything we were pushing for as the working group, in collaboration with other various groups," said Jimmy Noble, who's on the working group that gave feedback to Nunavut's Department of Community and Government Services.

The new design has the addition of a second breakwater to the north of the existing breakwater. It would be wide enough for ATV access and walking.

The plans show a wider boat ramp, mooring points and an area where people can line up to launch.

There are also measures to make water access easier, including adding concrete steps to the current breakwater.

"They've really taken into consideration the local committees here in Iqaluit, the hunters and trappers, the elders, the commercial operators," Noble said.

'No' to parking lot

In the first draft, the area near the breakwater was going to be dredged and the material used to make a parking lot on the shore.

That didn't sit well with some boaters in the community.

"The feedback we'd heard was that some of the people with smaller boats didn't like the parking lot," said Paul Mulak, director of capital projects for community and government services.

"It was taking away from the area where they would normally beach their boats, so it was quite valuable that way to best understand how we could meet the needs of all the users in Iqaluit," Mulak added.

Noble says ensuring there was enough shelter for boats in the harbour was their primary goal.

"A proper shelter that would get us away from the elements that we currently face today," he said.

The community consultation process is continuing.

Once the design is further refined, the entire plan, including the deep sea port design, upgrades to the causeway and the new small craft harbour, will go before the Nunavut Impact Review Board.